Opportunity to reclaim Chagos for Maldives not yet lost: Nasheed

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has stated that the postponement of the vote in the UK Parliament to hand over Chagos in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius is an additional opportunity for the Maldives to lay claim to the territory.

The vote on the bill regarding Chagos in the UK House of Lords has been delayed, leading some to suggest that the UK's policy on granting Chagos to Mauritius may change.

In a post on X today, former President Nasheed stated that the chance for the Maldives to gain sovereign guardianship over Chagos has not yet been lost.

Nasheed asserted that the Maldives' claim to Chagos is very strong, noting the deep historical connection between Chagos and the Maldives, as the Dhivehi language has been found on ancient gravestones in Chagos. He also highlighted the geographical proximity between the Maldives and the territory, noting that Chagos was mentioned in official Maldivian documents as far back as the 16th century.

"The UK's reversal of its decision to hand Chagos over to Mauritius is a stroke of luck," Nasheed said in his tweet in English.

While Nasheed made these comments, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has also stated that even if the British, who colonized Chagos, hand over the atoll to Mauritius, the country with the greatest right to receive it is the Maldives.

In an interview with the UK's Express, the President reiterated this stance, revealing that a letter and other communications had been exchanged regarding the Maldives' view on the UK's decision to cede Chagos to Mauritius.

During the 2024 Republic Day ceremony, President Muizzu disclosed that he had sent a letter to the UK stating that handing Chagos over to the Maldives is far more appropriate than giving it to Mauritius.

In the interview with Express, the President stated that the UK government had been officially notified of the Maldives' belief that Chagos should be given to the Maldives, and the reasons for this view were disclosed. He further brought to the UK government's attention that Chagos is a place with historical ties to the Maldives.

President Muizzu claimed that a portion of the Maldivian maritime territory was lost due to a letter sent to Mauritius by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih regarding this issue, and he pledged to work toward reclaiming that portion.

When Mauritius submitted the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s highest court, in its efforts to acquire Chagos, an advisory opinion was issued in 2019 stating that the UK's administration of Chagos was contrary to international law and that authority should reside with Mauritius.

Since it was not a legally binding decision, the UK stood its ground for many years before changing its mind following pressure from decisions made in the UN General Assembly in favor of Mauritius.

Subsequently, based on the ICJ's advisory opinion that sovereign power over Chagos should belong to Mauritius, Mauritius submitted a case to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to delimit the overlapping maritime boundary between the Maldives and Mauritius.

In that tribunal, the Maldives raised a procedural issue, arguing that since Chagos was a territory colonized by the UK, Mauritius did not have the authority to sue regarding the boundary issue.

However, ITLOS did not accept the Maldives' submission and concluded the case by leaning on the ICJ's advisory opinion. When drawing the economic zones of the Maldives and Mauritius, where each country would take 200 miles, the overlapping 95,000 square kilometers were divided such that the Maldives received 47,232 square kilometers and Mauritius received 45,331 square kilometers.